Middle of Nowhere
by hogwartsalumni
Summary: Danny is sent out of town on a case...How will our favorite city boy handle being out of his element and will he find someone to help him find his way back home? DL
1. I'm Not Going

**A/N: I do not claim any rights to anything that is copy-righted, patented, otherwise legally owned; I'm just borrowing them to satisfy the plot-bunnies running through my head. Please read and review, but most of all enjoy. The song is _"One"_ By U2. Thanks to _NeverMindDream_ for not only being my beta, but also for helping me come up with a title… Please read and review, but most of all enjoy.**

"Mac," Danny stated calmly, "Send someone else. I'm not going to some back woods hick town, where the sheriff chews tobacco, calls me son, is in with the town crook and there's only one bathroom. Send Monroe, send Hawkes, or send Hammerback for all I care. I'm not going. "

Danny sat down in the chair across from his boss, his mentor, waiting for a response.

Mac grimaced, he was afraid that this was going to happen, Danny hated going on cases out of town. He thought for a moment on how the best way to handle it.

"Danny," Mac said slowly and evenly, "My hands are tied. You're the only one available and they need someone as soon as possible. It'll be the weekend at most; you'll be back before you know it."

Danny frowned, lines furrowing his forehead but he said nothing. Instead, he rose from his chair and took the train ticket and case folder off Mac's desk. He looked Mac in the eyes once more and walked to the door.

"Danny," Mac said, stopping him, "Trilton has two bathrooms." He smiled at the younger man.

Danny shook his head in disbelief at his boss' joke, but cracked a small smile and was gone from the office.

He walked into the locker room and caught Lindsay in a state of semi undress. He paused slightly, taking in the sight. She was wearing a thin, ribbed tank top and a pair of well fitting jeans. He coughed softly to alert her to his presence.

She whipped around, and blushed slightly, while grabbing her shirt from her locker.

"Danny." She said flustered, "I didn't hear you come in."

Danny couldn't think of anything to say so he walked over to his locker, and opened it. He pulled out his bag and started tossing random things in.

"I hear that you're going on a trip." Lindsay said, trying to engage him in conversation.

They had become friends over the last couple of weeks, and had started talking more. However there were still times that Lindsay didn't get him.

Danny merely grunted in response and continued to collect his things.

"I wish Mac trusted me enough to go on a trip, alone." Lindsay said, trying again. "I mean I'd love the opportunity. Kinda makes me wish I wasn't on a case."

"Ya wanna switch?" Danny snapped, looking at her with one of those faces. "Cause I sure as hell don't wanna go."

"Sorry," Lindsay said defensively, her face riddled with hurt, "I guess this means that instead of having a sure thing, you'll actually have to work to get laid this weekend." She slammed her locker shut and stalked out of the room.

"Lindsay." He called out to her but it was too late, she was gone. The swinging door was the only sign that she had once been there.

Danny beat his head against the locker next to his. He hadn't meant to snap at her, he hadn't meant to take anything out on her but she was just so damn persistent at times. He snatched up his bag and left the locker room. His train left at 8 tonight, and from the paperwork Mac had given him, it looked like a four hour trip and the sheriff was going to meet him at the station, then drive him to the hotel in town. He would start processing in the morning. Oh joy. Hopefully after packing, he'd have a chance to grab a small dinner and a nap before leaving. Somehow, he had a feeling that the hotel the lab had him in wasn't going to be the Hilton.

He left the lab, walked out to the parking garage, and got in his vehicle. He started it, and gave it a chance to warm up. He played around with the radio, switching from station to station until a song caught his attention.

_Have you come here for forgiveness  
Have you come to raise the dead   
Have you come here to play Jesus  
To the lepers in your head_

It caused his mind to go back to Lindsay and what happened in the locker room, again. He felt horrible, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to pick up his phone and call her. Her comment had hurt him. Is that all she thought of him? That he was just a player whose only goal was getting into someone's pants? He knew that there were rumors flying around that lab that he was a player, that he had a different girl every week, but he hadn't paid attention to them that closely, and granted he hadn't bothered to correct anyone either, but it was because he hadn't cared what people thought about him. Until now. What made Lindsay and her opinion so different? The thought bothered him a bit. She was a friend, and a coworker. Sure, when she smiled, he smiled. And he found her enthusiasm refreshing, and her laugh was intoxicating. But she wasn't his type, right?

The truth was that he hadn't had a girlfriend since Cindy, and they had been over for a couple of weeks. Granted, he had met that girl on the subway, but she was only a freshman in college, and he wasn't going there. Other than that, his weekends had been filled with television, hanging out with Flack, and working.

He backed his vehicle out of his spot and drove out of the parking garage. He noticed that Lindsay's car was still there, even though her shift had ended.

"Probably went back to the evidence." He said to himself, shaking his head. He knew that if she was frustrated, she would go do something that she could concentrate on to get her mind off whatever the irritation was. Guilt immediately flooded back into him, knowing that he was the source of the irritation this time. He shook his head and stopped his truck behind her car.

Grabbing a pen and ripping a piece of paper out of a notebook he had with him, he wrote "I'm sorry -- D", and folded it. He got out, and put the piece of paper under one of her wiper blades, got back in his truck and drove home.


	2. Girl Trouble?

**A/N: Same disclosure as previous chapter. The song is _Sympathy_ by Goo Goo Dolls. Thanks again to my beta NeverMindDream… Please read and review, but most of all enjoy.**

Danny got home and changed into more comfortable clothes, namely a white t-shirt and black lounge pants. He threw some clothes and other supplies into an overnight bag and set it next to his kit by the door. He then made a sandwich, and flopped down on the couch to try and catch a nap. He had about two hours before he had to leave for the station.

He had just laid down and closed his eyes, when Lindsay's face, riddled with hurt flashed before him. He sat up quickly, rubbing at his eyes with his fingertips. Why did he feel so horrible about snapping at her? What was making her so special?

"Because you hurt her for no reason." He said aloud to the room. He picked up his cell phone and hit number three, her speed-dial number.

"Hi, you've reached Lindsay Monroe. Please leave a brief message with your number, and I'll call you back."

He hung up without leaving a message after hearing her voice mail. He wondered what she was doing that her phone would be off. He also debated calling the lab, but decided that she had probably gone home and was sleeping or something. It was that or something that bothered him. He laid back down, holding the phone to his chest. He half hoped it would ring, and it would be her, but it never did.

Danny turned off his alarm before it went off. After laying there, drifting in and out of restlessness, he decided that he wasn't going to sleep until he reached the hotel in Trilton. He had tried calling Lindsay three more times, all going straight to voicemail.

After making sure that the coffee pot was off, the plants were watered, the windows locked, and the thermostat set, Danny made his way to the front door. He picked up his stuff, left his apartment and headed for the station.

He settled into his seat on the train, resting his head back and closing his eyes. He had thrown his bag in the seat next to him, hoping that no one would have to sit next to him. He heard his bag jingle, and it took him a minute to realize that his cell phone was ringing. Eagerly hoping it was Lindsay, he frantically tore at his bag.

He looked at the display screen, "MAC" and sighed disappointedly, but answered the phone.

"Messer." Danny said.

"Danny, it's Mac." Came the reply from the other end, "Just wanted to make sure that you are on your way."

"Yeah Mac," Danny said, half disappointed that Mac would think he would miss his train on purpose, "The train pulled out like a half hour ago."

"Ok," Mac said, "Send all of your evidence to us and we'll process it. We'll see you in a couple of days."

"Yeah." Danny said, resignedly, "Hey Mac." Something had just popped into Danny's head.

"Yeah?" Mac answered.

"Am I getting paid overtime for this?" Danny asked.

Mac just laughed on the other end of the phone and told him goodbye.

"Later Mac." Danny said, flipping his phone shut.

He put his headphones on to listen to his mp3 player. He once again leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

_Stranger than your sympathy_

_This is my apology_

_I'm killing myself from the inside out_

_And all my fears have pushed you out_

Danny listened to his music for a half hour or so, every song seems to remind him of Lindsay and how he had left things with her. He flipped his phone open again and called Lindsay. It went straight to voicemail, again. An hour and a half later, just before he reached the station outside of Trilton, he tried again with the same results.

"Damn it, Lindsay. Where are you?" he said aloud.

"Girl trouble?" came a voice beside him.

"Huh?" Danny said looking across the aisle from him and saw an elderly lady with a warm smile staring back at him.

"Girl trouble" the elder woman repeated.

"Oh, um…" Danny said, "No. I'm just trying to get a hold of a co-worker."

"Do you usually cuss when you can't get a hold of your co-workers?" she asked sweetly.

"Not always." Danny admitted, blushing, "But this is a strange situation…" and suddenly found himself telling the whole odd and sordid story, to Maria as she introduced herself. She listened quietly, until Danny was done.

"If you want my opinion," Maria said, "and I know you didn't ask for it, but I'm old, and supposedly with age you get wiser, so accept it for what it is and listen. I think that you are thinking of your coworker as more than just a friend or whatever it is you young people are calling it these days. Hooking up I believe…" Maria faded off as the bus came to a stop.

And that was that. Danny was left gaping at this little old woman who was now making her way to the front of the train. Had she really just said what Danny had thought she had? Danny shook his head, she was older, probably thought that he was her grandson or something. Lindsay was just a coworker…right? He began to collect his things and make his way off the train as well.


	3. Fresh Eyes

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all previous chapters. Before everyone flames me, I actually do like all kinds of music, so please don't think I'm picking on country music. The song is _One Thing_ by Finger Eleven.**

**  
**Danny looked around after getting off the train. His eyes followed Maria to a group of people whom he assumed were her family. He then noticed a young, sharply dressed man walking towards him. Danny hoped that the shock he was experiencing was not registering on his face.

"Danny Messer?" asked the man.

"Yes," he replied, "You must be Sheriff Wells?"

"Yeah," Sheriff Wells, "Call me Chad."

They shook hands and made their way out to Chad's waiting vehicle.

The ride back to Trilton was filled with silence. Neither man seemed to know what to say to the other. Danny didn't really mind, his mind was subconsciously distracted by Lindsay and why he couldn't get a hold of her.

The radio filled the silence between them with a low, constant resonance.

_Restless tonight  
__Cause I wasted the light  
__Between both these times  
__I drew a really thin line_

The genre of the music surprised Danny, actually drawing his attention away from Lindsay for a brief moment. He expected that Chad would be listening to some twang filled song about a woman standing by her man.

"So," Chad said, attempting to make conversation, "Did you have a decent trip out?"

"Yeah," Danny answered, "It was uneventful. Listened to music most of the way. Are we going straight to the scene? The quicker I can get started, the less disruption to daily life around here." And the quicker I can go home, he added silently to himself.

"Well," Chad said, "I had planned on taking you straight to the hotel, figuring that you would be tired and all then pick you up 'round seven tomorrow morning for breakfast, then head over to the scene."

Danny grimaced slightly, he had truly hoped to start processing tonight when he got here, sleep a few hours, then go at it again.

"I just figured you would want to start with fresh, well rested eyes, but we can go now if you'd like." Chad said, then added "Don't worry Mr. Messer, we've done everything by the book, I promise you."

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration. His body ached with fatigue, it had been a long day and sleep was enticing.

"You're right Chad," Danny said, "Fresh eyes are the best thing, plus working in daylight is going to be easier than going in blind. And please, call me Danny."

"Okay." Chad answered him simply, flipping on the turn signal.

They pulled into the parking area of the Trilton Inn. Chad pulled into a spot and killed the engine. Danny was initially surprised. The hotel wasn't anything like he had originally thought it would be. Granted, it was no Marriott or Hilton, but it was well kept. There was a main building and then several smaller cottage-like buildings behind it.

"I'll pick you up at about 7am." Chad said, "We'll get some breakfast, then I'll take you to the weirdness."

Danny nodded, and grabbed his things from the back of the vehicle.

"Thanks and see you in the morning." Danny said before shutting the door.

He went into the main building, and set his things on the floor by the desk. There wasn't anyone waiting there, so he rang the bell for service. It's sound echoed off the walls of the quiet room.

"Coming!" came a voice from the back.

Danny thought about yelling ok in reply, but decided against it, thinking it would be rude. He waited patiently by looking at the paintings and pictures hanging around the room.

"So did you get a hold of your lady friend yet?" came a voice from behind him.

Danny turned around to see Maria standing at the desk.

"No, not yet." He said smiling slightly, warmth filling his cheeks.

"So you must be Danny Messer." She said, smiling and consulting the register she had put on the counter.

"That'd be me." He said.

"Well I'm gonna put you in room number 2," she said, pulling a key off a board, "It's our nicest room."

Danny took the key from her and started to say something, but she had already started again.

"Now there's a pile of wood outside on the little porch of each cottage, so use whatever you need to, it can get cold out here at night. My son, Mitch, will replace whatever you used it in the morning." She paused.

Danny nodded.

"And if you need anything, you just come in here, day or night, and let someone know." She said firmly, "Now go get some sleep, you look exhausted."

Maria reminded Danny of his grandmother, who had passed away several years ago.

"Thank you." Danny said before picking up his things and heading out to cottage number two.

**A/N: Please Review!**


	4. Listen

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all previous chapters.**

Danny dropped his things just inside the door of the little cabin, which was already pleasantly warm. Someone had been kind enough to start a fire in the fireplace and Danny was extremely grateful.

Maria's words about getting ahold of Lindsay rang in his ears. He wasn't going to call her now, it was too late, and besides if she really had wanted to talk to him, she would have picked up the phone one of the other ten times that he had tried calling. He went into the bathroom and got ready for bed. Once he was done, he picked up the phone and hesitated, but again decided against calling. He set the alarm and crawled into the foreign bed, closed his eyes, and hoped for sleep.

How long he had been laying there, he wasn't sure but the fact of the matter was that he wasn't sleeping. He reached over, picked up the phone and dialed Lindsay.

_Ring_

_Ring_

_Ring_

"'ello?" came a sleepy voice over the line.

Danny let out a sigh of relief, she was sleeping…she wasn't with someone else, she was…wait – he didn't care, did he?

"Hey." Danny said softly.

"Danny?" Lindsay asked, still sounding half asleep, "What time is it?"

Danny thought she sounded cute when she first woke up. He wondered what she looked like.

"It's early." He told her, smiling to himself, "I just wanted to let someone know that I got here ok."

"And I'm the first person that you thought of?" Lindsay asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Well," Danny paused, trying to decide whether to be honest or snarky, "sort of. I wanted to talk to you about earlier too. Did you -"

"—got your note." Lindsay had interrupted him and finished his sentence. It was a habit that they had developed over the past few months of working together. At first he thought it was annoying, but now that he'd gotten used to it, the fact that she knew him so well was comforting. "Thank you."

"I am sorry Lindsay," Danny started, but she cut him off.

"It's ok Danny." Lindsay said, "Everyone is entitled to an off-day, even you."

"Thanks." Danny said, suddenly feeling better knowing that she wasn't mad at him. "I've been worried about you."

"Really?" Lindsay sounded surprised, "Why?"

"I've been trying to get ahold of you for awhile; since like 8." Danny told her, and he could feel the color rising to his face. He didn't know why; what was it about Lindsay that made him feel like a teenager again.

"I've had my phone off." Lindsay explained, "I figured that I was ok since I wasn't on call until midnight, I wanted to get some things done around here. I'm sorry, I didn't cause you to worry."

"I shouldn't have called you this late," Danny said, suddenly feeling extremely guilty for waking her up, "You have to work in the morning."

"It's ok," Lindsay said, "I wasn't really sleeping all that sound anyway. Besides, it's good to hear your voice. The city seems different without you here."

Was she flirting with him? He couldn't believe that she had just said that. Danny didn't know what to say, let alone think.

"It's too quiet here." He said the first thing that came to mind. He mentally slapped himself. The girl practically admits she misses him and the only thing that he can think of to say is that it's too quiet? Why couldn't he say that he missed her too?

"I wish that Mac had let someone come along with me." Danny added softly.

"Yeah…" Lindsay replies softly.

There was a short period of silence, like no one seemed to know what to say for fear of revealing more of their heart.

"You know," Lindsay said, "If you listen, it's really not quiet; it's just a different kind of traffic."

"Ok…" Danny said in a disbelieving sort of way.

"I'm serious Danny," Lindsay told him, "Try it, you'll be surprised."

Danny yawned and he heard Lindsay follow suit, as yawns are contagious.

"You'd better get some sleep." Lindsay said, then with a horrible accent, she added, "You don't want to go giving them country folk a bad impression of us city people."

Danny barely resisted the incredibly strong urge to laugh.

"Ok, I'll go try to sleep, on one condition." Danny told her.

"What's that?" Lindsay questioned.

"You never, ever under any circumstance talk like that again." Danny told her.

Lindsay laughed.

"Deal."

"Goodnight Lindsay." Danny told her, "Have a good day at work tomorrow."

"Same to you Danny." Lindsay told him.

Danny hit the end button on his phone, and set it on the bedside table. Once he was comfortable, he laid there; staring at the ceiling.

"I'm never going to be able to sleep." He told himself aloud.

Lindsay's words about listening bounced around in his head. He closed his eyes and it was like someone had turned on a cd. He heard crickets, an owl or two, and all sorts of things that come alive at night in the woods.

Danny was asleep in minutes.


	5. Discovery of the Scene

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all previous chapters. Thanks to all have reviewed, it's really appreciated! **

**  
Chapter 5**

The alarm went off at five thirty the next morning. Groaning, Danny rolled over and hit the snooze button. Getting up right now wasn't really appealing to him. Not only did it feel like he had just fallen asleep, but he'd been having a strange dream, and it involved Lindsay. However, he couldn't remember the dream fully, only bits, pieces, and feelings. Like she was in trouble...He shook his head. She was safe in New York, it was just a dream.

The snooze alarm went off, and Danny rolled out of bed. He made his way to the bathroom and into the shower. The hot water felt good against his skin, and he felt more awake now. He got out of the shower and dressed. Then after double checking his kit to make sure that he had everything that he would need out in the field, he looked at his watch. He had about fifteen minutes before Chad would be there to pick him for breakfast. He contemplated calling Lindsay, just to double check that she was alright, but then talked himself out of it because she was fine, probably buried somewhere elbow deep in a case, and he needed to focus on the case in front of him. He had a job to do it and he was going to show Mac it wasn't a mistake sending him out here.

Chad arrived at seven on the dot, and Danny was relieved because he was starving. They made small talk on their way to the diner and it continued after they ordered their meals. Most of the chatter was about how Trilton was a good town and how they'd never seen anything like this before.

"We're the kind of town where everyone knows everyone else. I mean Dr. Litkens has delivered this towns' children for the last sixty years. The people here are terrified there there's a sadistic murderer living among us. I mean you have to understand the panic that's going on." Chad told him as they ate.

Danny nodded, as he was taking a bite of food. His mind flashed back to the case file that he had read. A faceless head, a pair of hands and feet were found, set on points of a painted pentagram around a singular tree in the center. No body, no blood trail, and what looks like no evidence.

"Chad, I understand the panic, and this is definitely a gruesome crime scene." Danny told him, "This isn't normal," he paused, "Not that murder is ever normal, but this qualifies as disturbing, even in the city. I'll try my best get things back to normal again."

Danny tried to pay for the breakfast but Chad insisted that he be the one that pay, since Danny came all the way out here only hours after their request for help.

"Thanks again for breakfast." Danny said quietly, but politely as they pulled up to crime-scene taped area.

Once Chad had parked, they both got out and Danny was introduced to the officers patrolling the area, and those standing guard. While Chad was chatting with one of the officers, Danny ducked under the yellow tape. What met his eyes was unlike anything that he had ever seen before.

On the ground, in a clearing around a lone tree there was a pentagram drawn in what looked like blood. Carefully Danny inspected closer, the hands and the feet had been positioned at points of the pentagram, and the faceless head was resting on a flat rock at the top. They were positioned as if they were still connected with the missing body. Danny started flashing pictures, getting every angle and every possible spot within the clearing. Nothing seemed too inconsequential, not in this type of scene.

He examined the hands, feet, and head before putting them into evidence bags. It looked like as if they had been separated from the body with a sharp edged object, like an axe. He also gathered some of the dirt, and samples from part of the pentagram, so that maybe they could possibly get something foreign from it to crack open the case, and to find out if it really was blood that the symbol was drawn in.

After collecting evidence, Danny asked Chad if he there was somewhere he could set up his laptop to get photos sent to the lab, so they could start analyzing them before they received the evidence. Chad told him to use the back of a truck at the scene.

Danny called the lab to let them know that the he was going to be sending something to them regarding the case. Lindsay answered the phone, sounding tired.

"NYPD Crime Lab, Detective Monroe speaking."

"Hey Linds," Danny said, smiling for the first time that day. "I need to send some pictures to you about this freaky case. You'll understand when you see them."

"Ok Danny…" Lindsay was intrigued, "Let me put you on hold and get to the computer."

Danny heard hold music playing softly in the background for a few seconds. It amazed him how her voice could make everything in his day seem brighter, even in a situation like this.

"Ok Danny," Lindsay had come back on the line, "We're all set up to receive."

Danny clicked ok on the computer, and it responded by showing which pictures were being sent.

"Ok…" Danny said after a few seconds, "You should get one hundred ten pictures."

"Overkill much?" Lindsay asked, then she laughed softly, "How's it been going?"

"You'll see when you see the pictures." Danny told her, "I don't think I'm gonna be coming back tonight."

He heard the beep of the computer on the other end of the phone, indicating that it was done. He knew that she was reviewing the pictures.

"What in the hell is going on out there Danny?" Lindsay said in horror.


	6. I'm Sending Help

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all previous chapters…I own nothing and make no profit…blah blah blah…**

**Chapter 6**

"I don't know Lindsay." Danny said solemnly, "I really don't know yet."

"I'd better get these to Mac," Lindsay said, "and we'll get started on them. Are you sending any other evidence to the lab?"

"Yeah," Danny said, pausing, "I'm going to be sending out by courier this afternoon."

"Ok," Lindsay said, almost as if she didn't want to let him go, "I guess we'll be on the lookout for it."

"Ok, sounds good." Danny said, "I guess I'll talk to you later."

"Ok," Lindsay said, "Bye"

"Bye"

Danny closed his phone reluctantly.

_Get your mind back on the case, Messer – _Danny thought to himself.

Danny worked the scene for another two hours, gathering anything that he could possibly think of to gain a clue as to what had happened here, and how no one had heard or seen a thing.

Chad came up to him at around 1pm and asked how things were coming. Danny responded by just shaking his head, indicating that Danny was reaching dead ends.

"Why don't we go grab some food?" Chad said, obviously uncomfortable with his proximity to the scene. "You've been working for hours; you've got to be hungry."

Danny nodded. He was hungry, and he felt like he was spinning his wheels and going no where. He needed to get this evidence to the lab before he could go any further.

"While we're there, I'll need use your courier service as well." Danny said as he packed up.

Once they got back into town, Chad and Danny made their way to the courier's office and sent out the four packages of evidence with the fastest service they offered. Then they made their way over to the restaurant for lunch.

Over lunch, they talked about anything but the case. Danny learned that Chad had been a city boy all of his life, having met his wife, Tessa, while going to school at NYU.

"So what changed?" Danny asked, "What made you leave?"

"Tessa told me I was going to be a father." Chad said simply. "I then realized that the city wasn't the same place that it was when I was growing up and I wanted something less complicated for my child."

"Wow." Danny said, intrigued, "So you just packed up and moved here?"

"I know it sounds crazy," Chad said shaking his head, "It did to me too at first, but I think it was the best thing I've ever done. You'll have to come to the house for dinner while you're here; Meet Tessa and Riley."

Just then Danny's cell phone rang, and MAC flashed across the display.

"Excuse me Chad," Danny asked him, "It's my boss – gotta take it."

"Hey Mac." Danny said into the phone.

"Hey Danny," came Mac's standard reply, "I took a look at those pictures and you're gonna need help out there."


	7. Waiting on the Train

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all previous chapters. Please read and review, but enjoy most of all. Thanks!**

**Chapter 7**

Danny's heart leapt a little in his chest. Mac was sending him some help, someone from their lab. Lindsay had said before she wished Mac would send her on an out of town trip, could she be the one he was sending? Was it possible that Danny was actually going to be able to spend some time with Lindsay outside of the peering eyes of the lab? Granted, they were going to be working on a murder case but still, alone, away from the city…Danny's mind was running away from him and it took all the concentration he could muster to reel it back in.

"So who's getting sent out here to murderville Mac?" Danny ask, trying to keep his voice level.

"Do you really want me to ruin the surprise Danny?" Mac asked, that teasing you-should-know-better tone in his voice.

"Not a surprise really Mac," Danny said, his sarcastic New York accent bleeding through, "Just need to know if I'm gonna be bunking with anyone or not cause I know the city ain't paying for two hotel rooms if you're sending Hawkes."

"True," Mac said, "Happy bunking. The train arrives are ten tonight."

"Later Mac." Danny said, not paying any attention to his boss' reply as his clicked his phone shut.

His heart had resumed beating at a normal pace. Mac wasn't sending Lindsay. He didn't know why he felt empty inside, like someone had stolen a piece of himself. Maybe he just wasn't ready to admit anything yet. Flipping open his cell phone, he punched in Lindsay's speed dial number and his send. Instantly, her voice mail kicked on. 

"Hey Montana," Danny spoke into the phone, "Just me, saying hi. Hi. Talk to you later." He flipped his phone shut again and went back into the restaurant.

"Hey Chad," Danny said as he returned to their table, "We've got more company coming to the party."

Quarter to ten that same night found Danny and Chad sitting in the train station's parking lot waiting on Hawkes train.

"So tell me about this guy Mac's sending out." Chad asked, "Is he as good as you?"

"Hawkes is a good guy. Smart as hell" Danny said candidly, "Very thorough. He used to be one of our MEs before he switched teams."

"Wow." Chad said, astounded, "He went through all those years of med school, only to not use those skills?"

"I wouldn't say that," Danny said, "He's just uses them in the field instead of a morgue. I have to admit, it's nice being able to get some of the information right there in the field that we'd normally have to wait to get from the ME at their office. No one could believe that he actually wanted to come out into the field; it was a big shocker to us all."

"That's cool. He sounds like a great guy," Chad said, "Can't wait to meet him."

There was a silence between them that while not uncomfortable, wasn't necessarily pleasant. It was an edgy anticipation, like when you're waiting for a family member to arrive; they were both wondering where the train was. It was now five minutes late.

"Oh, I was supposed to ask you what your favorite meal was. Tessa wants you to come out for dinner." Chad said, "Something about you needing a good home cooked meal. Hawkes is invited as well."

Danny laughed, and nodded, "Um, anything Italian. But I'm sure that I would like anything she cooked. I mean after you've eaten gourmet prepared insects, anything pretty much tastes good."

"Huh?" Chad asked, "Did I just hear you right?"

Just then they saw the light of the train approaching. Both men got out of the vehicle and started walking towards the platform to greet Hawkes when he got off the train.

As the passengers started to disembark from the sleek rail-bound machine, Danny rubbed his eyes. It couldn't be. Was this a set up?

"Miss me Messer?"

There stood Lindsay Monroe.

**A/N: Ok – This was probably by far the cheesiest chapter I have ever written, but please, please forgive me. This is was I get for deciding to update with less than 12 hours of sleep in the last three days. Hope you enjoyed it – please, please, _please _review. Thanks!**


	8. Is She One of Your CoWorkers?

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all previous chapters. Thanks for reading – please don't forget to review!**

_**Chapter 8**_

"Montana?" Danny asked shocked, just standing there with his mouth gaping open slightly.

"Montana?" Chad asked in a more confused manner, "Who this and where's the ME guy?"

Lindsay laughed, further confusing Chad and Danny.

"Mac told you Hawkes was coming?" Lindsay was struggling to get herself under control, "Danny you know that Hawkes is at that conference in Oregon this week."

"Oh…" Danny said softly, "Right."

"Ok," Chad said, still confused and trying hard not to become irritated, "If Hawkes is in Oregon, who the hell is this?"

"Chad I'm sorry," Danny told him, sincerely apologetic, "This is Lindsay Monroe. She's another one of my co-workers. This is Mac's idea of comedy apparently."

Just then his phone rang, looking at the caller id and recognizing the familiar number, he picked it up.

"I see Hawkes has had some major surgery in the last 48 hours Mac." Danny answered dryly. _Not that I'm complaining_ Danny added to himself.

"I take it Lindsay got there safely then." Mac said, laughing.

"She's safe and sound." Danny answered and then closed his phone.

The three stood looking at each other for a moment before someone spoke.

"Well, we should be getting you back to your rooms," Chad said, "You'll be wanting to get to the scene early tomorrow I'm assuming."

Danny and Chad made to get Lindsay's bag at the same time, causing her to laugh. Danny found her laugh intoxicating, like a drug that he couldn't get enough of.

"Now, now boys," Lindsay was still laughing slightly, "there's no need to argue over who's going to carry my bag. It's really not that heavy."

Chad and Danny looked at each other, and then back at Lindsay. It was as if they were trying to decide if this was a battle worth fighting.

"Just give me the bag Montana." Danny said taking it from her.

They small idle chatter while they drove back to the Trilton Inn where Chad bade them goodnight and drove off into the darkness.

"Come on," Danny said guiding her into the office, "Let's get you a room."

Maria was sitting in the office reading a book when they walked in. She smiled at Danny and Lindsay, setting her book on the counter.

"What can I do for you Daniel?" She asked, "Is everything ok?"

"Yes Maria," He blushed, no one had called him Daniel in a long, long time, "Everything is fine. Lindsay here just needs one of your lovely rooms."

"Lindsay?" She asked raising an eyebrow at him, "Is she one of your co-workers?"

Danny's face suddenly felt very warm as he remembered what they had talked about on the train.

"Yes," Danny answered, hoping his voice didn't sound too strained, "She is."

Lindsay was watching this whole exchange with quiet observation. There seemed to be more than just friendly chatter beneath the surface, she made a mental note to ask Danny about it later.

"Here you go." Maria handed Lindsay a key, "You're in cottage number 3, right next to Daniel's."

"Thanks." Lindsay said, smiling.

"Let's get you settled," Danny said, smiling at Maria again and guided Lindsay out of the office.

They walked towards the cabins slowly. Danny's hand was still on Lindsay's back and she found it comforting.

"Did you get a chance to analyze any of the data that I sent before Mac sent you out here?" Danny asked.

"A little, but not as much as I would have liked." Lindsay answered, "It looks like some occult ritual. Maybe something went wrong…"

"Or they are really just a bunch of sickos." Danny finished the sentence for her, "Here we are milady, cottage number 3."

"Thank you greatly, kind sir." Lindsay played along, "Would you be as kind as you start a fire for me? I have a feeling it's going to be chilly tonight."

"Sure." Danny said as they went inside her cabin.

"I'm just gonna go change while you do that," Lindsay said, "I feel all travel-y."

Danny laughed, he loved being around her. He set out to work on building the fire while she disappeared into the bedroom with her bag.

"That feels much better," Lindsay said coming out dressed in lounge pants and a t-shirt, "and that fire feels perfect."

She stretched, revealing a very toned midsection ever so slightly causing Danny to smile.

"Guess I should head next door." Danny said, fidgeting, "Need to have a good night's sleep and all…"

Slowly he made his way to the door when her voice caused him to turn around; there she stood, they were inches apart.

"Danny." Her voice was soft and breathy, "Thank you."

"It was nothing," he said, fighting the urge to bend and kiss her, "Thanks for coming down to keep me company."

Lindsay raised up on her toes and pressed her lips against her, setting both bodies on fire.


	9. Good Morning

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all previous chapters. I have to add a special note to wjobsessed – Happy Birthday! This one's for you...sorry it's a tad late.**

_**Chapter 9**_

The kiss was soft and gentle at first, hesitant almost. Danny's mind was running wild, and he did the first thing that he could think of; wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer.

Though his lungs burned for oxygen he didn't pull away, he didn't want the moment to end. It was as if all the private dreams he'd been having were all coming true into one moment that was better than any fantasy. His mind had turned to mush, and he wanted nothing more than for time to stop. He felt her start to pull back, and begrudgingly he allowed her to pull away though he didn't drop his hands.

"Danny." Lindsay said shyly.

"I'm tired of fighting." Danny answered her unasked question, "I'm tired of fighting this."

"I know." Lindsay answered, still trying to get him to look her in the eyes, "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know." Danny rubbed the back of his neck; his one hand still on her waist, "Slow I guess."

"Yeah…" He thought he heard disappointment in Lindsay's voice, but wasn't sure.

"I guess I should go start a fire in my own bungalow." Danny said, finally looking her in the eyes.

What he saw there surprised him. It was as if she had opened her core, her soul to him. What shocked him even more was that it didn't scare him; it didn't cause him to feel like his feet were on fire and feeling the need to run far and fast.

"Guess I should go…" Danny faded off; their hands intertwined as they moved closer to the door.

"Goodnight Danny." Lindsay said as she kissed him softly once more as Danny left.

Once back to his cottage Danny started a fire to take the chill out of the air and then flung himself ungracefully onto the bed while a video of the last half hour replayed in his head. His body ached in ways that he'd never felt before in such a short period of time. Suddenly his cell phone went off indicating that he had a new text message. Retrieving it from his pocket, he read the message.

Remember you just have to listen.

Danny smiled as he thought back to their conversation from the night before. He thought quickly before typing in his reply.

If I have trouble sleeping can I come cuddle with you?

He sent the message, smiling at himself and waited for her reply. He didn't have to wait long; it felt like he had just read message sent on his screen when his phone beeped signifying another new message

I heard a rumor that you didn't cuddle.

Danny flashed back to the case with the blind artist and the cuddle parties. He chuckled to himself, realizing that Lindsay and Stella must talk more than he realized, and texted her back.

For you Montana, I'll definitely make the exception.

His eyes started to feel heavy. Must be all the fresh air, he thought silently to himself as he rolled over and drifted off, still clutching his cell phone. His last thought was how Lindsay's skin would feel next to his.

The next morning Danny knocked on Lindsay's door before Chad had arrived.

"Good morning." Lindsay greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning to you too." Danny replied, leaning down to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"Hmmm," Lindsay said, "Add coffee and this would be the perfect start to any morning."

"I think I could get used to it too." Danny said, his eyes sparkling, "Chad should be here soon to take us to the diner and then we'll go to the scene."

"Sounds good. I want to look around the scene, expand the perimeter maybe…" Lindsay said, wrapping her arms around him, "How are we going to explain this at home?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it." Danny said sagely, "Right now let's concentrate on figuring out this case."

"That sounds like a good idea." Lindsay said, pulling him a little closer, "We should probably see if Chad is waiting for us yet."

"I think it'll be a few more minutes," Danny said, lowering his head to hers, "I'm enjoying being able to do this."

They kissed for a few more minutes, both content with the intensity of the intimacy but yet they both yearned for more. As they pulled apart, they heard a horn beep.

"I assume that would be Chad?" Lindsay said, pulling away.

"Only one way to find out." Danny said, opening the door and gesturing for her to exit.

They made their way out to the parking area where they found Chad leaning against the driver's side door of his vehicle.

"There you guys are," Chad said as he saw them approach, "Thought you might have overslept or gone home."

"Nah," Danny answered him, "Just going over case details."

Lindsay stifled a laugh; Danny caught her eye and winked. It was like they were two teenagers with a secret.

"Ready for breakfast?" Chad asked, "Or would you want to go to the scene right off?"

"Coffee please." Lindsay said, her teeth starting to chatter slightly, as it was still nippy this early in the morning.

They got into the vehicle and drove to the diner in town. Danny noticed that Lindsay was taking everything in.

Ever the observer, he thought and smiled to himself.

They pulled into the parking, piled out of the truck and into the restaurant. Danny watched Lindsay the whole time while she and Chad talked about the benefits of living in a small town. She was vibrant, it was like the country air had breathed new life into her. He wondered why she had moved halfway across the country to a city where she knew practically no one.

They had just sat down when the waitress came by to take their drink orders.

"Damn Chad," she said, smiling at him and trying to catch Danny's eye, "I didn't know you had siblings visiting."

"Lisa," Chad said, sounding slightly annoyed, "This isn't family; this is Danny and Lindsay, the investigators from the city."

"Oh." Lisa said sounding slightly surprised, "Investigators from the city huh?"

She walked away without taking their orders. Lindsay cocked an eyebrow at Danny in question. He tried to shrug his shoulders discreetly at her, indicating that he had no idea but didn't know if she saw it because she looked away when Chad started talking.

"Sorry about that," he said candidly, "Lisa is…well, Lisa is always on the lookout for Mr. Right, albeit sometimes it's Mr. Right Now. She really is nice, but there are days when her head is distinctly lost in the clouds."

"Ah." They replied, unsure of what else to say.

Lisa came back a few moments later and took their orders, and was back with their food before they knew it. The rest of breakfast was enjoyable and they talked seemingly non-stop. The conversation seemed to flow more naturally with Lindsay there. Maybe it was because Danny had some connection with home or maybe it was because Lindsay drew out the best in him.

When they were finished, Chad insisted on paying again, and they made their way out to the truck. Once inside, Chad turned to Lindsay, who was sitting in the front seat.

"Are you sure you're up for this?"


	10. It's What We Do

**_A/N: This story is pure fiction and I'm writing it mainly for entertainment (although if TPTB wanted to use anything I certainly wouldn't object as long as I received credit…lol). Same disclosures apply as in all other chapters._**

**Chapter 10**

We got to the crime scene and I watched Lindsay for a moment as she surveyed the scene. Everything seemed the same as it was yesterday when I had arrived; the yellow tape was still in place and officers were still at their posts, albeit the faces had changed.

"Where did you start yesterday Danny?" She called out to me from the edge of the tape.

"At the perimeter and worked my way in," I answered back, shutting the tailgate after retrieving our cases.

"Ok." She answered lost in thought.

She was walking the perimeter, outside the yellow tape, almost like a pacing fashion. I set our cases down and looked at her, watching her again.

"Ready to go in?" I asked after a few minutes.

"What about the locals?" She asked, "Do they have any ideas of who could be behind this?"

"Hadn't really questioned anyone yet," I said, shrugging, "The vic doesn't have a name yet, so there really weren't enough leads."

"Oh," Lindsay said, there was something hidden in her voice, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"I didn't want to go questioning people willy-nilly because," I said, trying not to be defensive, "I wanted to keep the locals friendly and cooperative. Don't you think that if I just started questioning everyone it could be construed as I'm accusing everyone and don't know how to do my job?"

"Yes," Lindsay conceded, "It's just that there's so little to go on, so much unknown."

"Why don't you go in and start processing with fresh eyes, see if I missed something or maybe there's something new." I offered, "I'm going to call Mac and make sure the lab got the packages I sent out yesterday."

And see if they have any new leads, I thought to myself as I popped open my cell phone, watching Lindsay duck under the tape. I hit the number for the lab on my speed dial, as I opened up the laptop incase Mac needed to send something and to check my email. Mac picked up on the second ring with his familiar greeting of Taylor.

"Hey Mac," I said, "It's Danny. Did you get the packages yet?"

"Hey, I was just going to call you." Mac said, "Yeah, we got them and started processing them right away. You sent us a lot of evidence Danny. Good work."

"Is there something new? Have you finished processing any of it yet?" I asked, hopeful for somewhere else to go with this investigation.

"Well, the faceless vic now has a name." He said, teasing, "We also know the type of weapon used to sever the hands and feet. We also have a possible a motive and some suspects."

"Whoa." I said, amazed, "I know we are good, but wow."

I was honestly amazed, almost downright flabbergasted. I had expected maybe they had procured me a name by using dental records, and it was possible that they might have discovered the type of weapon, but to have discovered a possible motive and suspects within such a short period of time was a feat. This was just another example of how grateful I am to be working with the best lab in the world, and with the best people.

"Everyone must have worked some major overtime to get all of that accomplished." I said, "I know those packages had to have gotten there somewhat late."

"We're a team Danny," Mac said, reminding me once again, "it's what we do. Besides, if we keep you out there too long, you might turn into some sort of country bumpkin."

"Not a chance Mac," I said laughing hard, "not a single chance."

He filled me in on all of the details and told them that he would email them to me as well so that I had a copy to work off from. We made small talk for a few minutes, catching up on different things that had been happening elsewhere, and then said our goodbyes.

"Lindsay!" I called out, without looking up from the computer, as I was waiting on the email from Mac, "Lindsay!!"

There was no answer from her. I looked over to the scene and didn't see her within the taped off area. I quickly looked around to see if she was talking to Chad or one of the other officers on the scene, but did not see her anywhere around.

"Lindsay!!!" I yelled louder, "MONTANA!"

I had gotten Chad's attention, as well as another officer standing nearby. I didn't care; I couldn't see Lindsay and while I wasn't panicked, I was certainly concerned that she wasn't even answering and I couldn't see her. Chad and the officer had begun to walk over to me when I called out her name once more.

"Danny," Chad said, "what's wrong?"

"Have you seen Lindsay lately?" I asked, still anxiously looking around.

"Last time I saw her, she was looking around the edge of the crime scene tape on the other side of the scene." Chad told me, and then turned to the officer with him "What about you Doug?

"She was checking out trees over there." He pointed towards a grove of trees on the other side of the scene.

"Thanks," I said, trying to remain calm and laugh off the situation, "I'll just go over there and see if I can find her. She tends to get into her work."

I walked over to the trees and called out her name again. I saw her case, just inside the yellow tape. It looked as though she had been working on something when something else caught her eye and she had to check it out.

"Lindsay!" I called out, once more, "Montana!! Montana, where are you?!?"

"Danny." Came a voice to my left

Turning around, I saw her and took a big sigh of relief. She was standing on what looked like a footpath, looking safe and unhurt.

"What is all the shouting about?" she asked, walking towards me.

"Well I couldn't see you, couldn't find you," I started, slightly upset, "and no one knew where you were."

"Sorry," she said, "You were on the phone. I didn't want to bother you when I happened to see this and I wanted to see where it went."

"You do realize that we're here," I continued, unable to stop myself, "because there was a vicious murder and the one responsible is still **on the loose?" **I emphasized the last few words, trying to make a point.

"I get it Danny," she said tersely, "I am an adult and don't need a babysitter. What was it that you wanted anyway?"

"Lindsay," I said, knowing I had crossed a line.

"What was it Danny?" Her words were curt.

Sighing, I handed her the piece of paper and then stuck my hands inside my pockets. Why couldn't she just see that I was concerned for her? I would have been concerned for Stella or Hawkes just the same.

Well, maybe not just the same, said the little voice in my brain.

"This is good Danny." She said, her voice returning to normal, "This gives us some leads to go on."

"Yeah, I know," I said, avoiding her gaze, "Did you find anything more?"

"I got a few samples to send to the lab, a couple of pictures but not a whole lot more evidence wise," she paused, "the most interesting thing was this footpath."

"Huh?" I asked confused, "What's so interesting about a path?"

She came closer to me and forced me to look her in the eye.

"It's not necessarily the path," she said, "but where the path takes us."

I got this feeling she was referencing more than just the case at hand. She smiled at me and I smiled back; I knew we'd have to talk more about it later, but for now everything was ok.

"And where, pray tell Montana, does this path take us?" I asked.

"Well, this particular path," she said, acting like Vanna White and giggling softly, "this particular path takes us to a large compound, complete with high chain link fence and inner buildings."

I cocked an eyebrow at her, trying not to laugh and wondering if I was thinking of the right thing. What she was describing has been seen on television for years. I couldn't believe that here in this little town of Trilton would be something like that. I had to ask.

"Like a cult compound?"

"That's that feeling that I got." She answered, "I could see people inside the fence but I stayed pretty far away and tried to remain hidden within the trees. But I watched them for a few minutes and they were walking around, talking to each other or that's what it looked like; nothing out of the ordinary or obviously sinister but I still got this eerie feeling."

"Let's go take a look at this compound," I said, as we started walking down the path that she had appeared on, "Then we'll ask Chad about it."


	11. Chapel Of EverLasting Light

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all other chapters. I apologize for the sudden change in format of this story, that's the problem with writing two stories in 1st person, then one in the third. I'm going to continue this story in the first person just to make it easier, sorry if it upsets anyone. Please enjoy reading and remember to review. Thanks… :-)**

_**Chapter 11**_

"This is as far as I went." Lindsay said, as we stopped just before the footpath opened into a clearing.

"Wow," I said, letting out a low whistle, "I wonder what's going on in there."

We stood there, hidden in the trees, watching for a few minutes. Lindsay was right; there didn't seem to be anything sinister going on, but it was definitely creepy and gave off that "cult" vibe.

"Let's head back," I said, reaching for her hand, "We need to talk with Chad."

"Danny…" She said, glancing at our hands, "We're working."

"I know," I said, not letting go, "It's a few minutes before we actually get back."

We walked back down the path in silence; each lost in their own thoughts. A few moments before we arrived back at the scene, we let go of each other's hands. Lifting the yellow tape so she could pass underneath it, I followed behind her. Chad was standing next to the truck talking to the same officer that I had left him with.

"Chad." I called out to him, causing him to look in our direction, "We need to talk."

"Are you folks ready to leave the scene?" He asked, holding the tape up to allow us to pass under it again.

"Actually," Lindsay said, looking at her watch, "I am a little hungry. Why don't we go grab some lunch?"

"I'm game," I answered, "Let's pack up and go."

Once we got to the diner, we took a booth that was fairly private, and began to look over the menus. Lisa, the same waitress from this morning, came over to take our orders. The truth be told, I wasn't really even that hungry, but I opted for a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup. Lindsay must have decided that sounded good because she ordered the same thing and Chad ordered a cheeseburger with fries.

Once our orders came and we started to eat, Lindsay must have decided it was time for our chat with Chad because she came right out with it, no beating around the bush.

"So Chad," She said, inbetween sips of soup, "What's with the compound on the hill?"

"Compound on the hill?" Chad repeated, "What are you talking about?"

"Chad," I interjected, "Lindsay found a footpath on the other side of the scene. We thought it might have something to do with the crime, so we walked it and when we were almost at the top of the hill, you could see a fenced in area."

"Oh," Chad said, munching on a fry, "That's the Chapel of Ever-lasting Light. They're harmless."

"What are they exactly?" Lindsay asked, "A cult?"

Chad laughed, and shook his head. Lindsay and I exchanged glances at his reaction.

"A cult? Here in Trilton?" Chad struggled to regain his composure, "No, they're not a cult. They've been here for years, quietly co-exisiting with us."

"Then what's with the fence? With the lookout towers?" I asked, "I mean, every religious organization I've ever seen with a set up like that usually doesn't mean they're exactly right in the head."

"I don't know about their practices or why they feel the need to be as guarded as they are," Chad said, shrugging his shoulders, "but I know they're law abiding, quiet, and keep to themselves. We've never had any problems with them while I've been here."

"The Chapel of Ever-lasting Light?" Lindsay asked, "That's what you said they're called?"

"Yes," Chad answered her, "You can run all the checks you want, but you're not going to find anything."

"Better to be safe than sorry." I answered, continuing on with my lunch, "Ever possibility is a possible break in the case."

We finished our lunch and Chad dropped us off back at the hotel with the promise to pick us up again around six thirty to go to his house for dinner. His wife was insisting on cooking us a home cooked meal and was eager to meet us. It was a little after two and Lindsay said that she wanted to call the lab. She wanted to pass on the additional information that we had gained and see if they had anymore to pass back on to us. That was fine with me, seeing as how I felt extremely grimy and wanted to take a shower. We had agreed to meet in her bungalow in an hour to sit down and go over all of the evidence. Maybe that way we could get a break on the case or a lead in the right direction atleast.

The hot water felt great on my skin, and I could had stood in there for much more than an hour. I let the water pelt on my skin, while I allowed my mind to wander. I wondered if Lindsay was done with her phone call and was showering herself. I allowed myself to imagine what she might look like with the water dripping down her body. I soon had to switch the water to cold to allow myself to get out of the shower.

True to our agreement, a little under an hour later, we were sitting at the small table in Lindsay's cottage going over what we knew so far, piecing together the information. I had been right, she must have showered because her hair was damp and she smelled of honey. It was almost enough to drag me back to my daydream, when her voice commanded my attention; it was almost if she could read my mind.

"Ok," Lindsay said, "What do we know so far?"

"Victim's name," I answered, "Perry Ellietta. Moved to Trilton when his parents split. Father gave up parental rights and his mother left the city; he was 22 at the time of his death. A college student at the local community college studying elementary education."

"Poor kid sounds like he had a bright future." Lindsay sighed, "What else?"

"Both the hands and feet were severed using a splitting maul, post mortem. Stella said that she found a jagged tool mark, almost like there's a huge nick missing, on the flesh, so we atleast know what we're looking for."

"What about the head?" Lindsay asked while she shuffled to the pictures of the head that I had taken, "Were they able to find out what it was severed with?"

I looked at the notes I had taken from my conversation with Mac.

"The head was severed with razor wire." I answered her, "From the level of blood loss, Sid is assuming that the vic was still alive when it happened."

"Ouch." Lindsay said aloud, "Wonder if we're looking for more than one person then. I mean I don't know anyone who would willing lie still while some lunatic decapitated them."

"Yeah," I said, glancing at my watch, "I guess our first stop tomorrow should be his mother, Jayne Eliaston. Different last name…remarriage?"

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow." Lindsay said, shrugging her shoulders, "Remarriage isn't uncommon in this day and age."

"No." I said, nodding, "Did you find out anything else from Mac?"

"Just that the tox screen isn't back yet," She looked at her notes, "they're running the gammet on it. Stomach contents were fairly absent, looks like bread, maybe a bland soup but nothing of substance to indicate that he had eaten recently."

She reached across the table and started fidgeting with my hand, almost as if it was absent-minded. I looked at her, but said nothing. I was enjoying it, and if she was comfortable with it, I didn't want to deter the action.

"There really isn't anything else to go on." She continued, "I asked Mac to check into the ligitamency of the Chapel of Ever-Lasting Light, just to see if there's something that would link back to the case. I know Chad said that they're harmless but it still gives me the creeps."

"I know what you mean." I said, "I think we've covered everything that we can possibly do with the evidence that we had at the moment."

I leaned back in the small chair, and stretched. We'd been sitting at the table for nearly two hours pouring over the photos, reports that had been emailed, and notes we'd taken. We'd set up a decent lead for the morning, but we'd been working all day and my mind was fried.

"Linds," I said standing up, "Let's go for a walk and stretch our legs. Chad won't be here for another hour or so to pick us up."

"Ok," Lindsay said, stand up as well, "I guess we could use a break from this case. My mind is spinning, and I guess Mac wouldn't want us to work the entire time we were here."

"Exactly," I said nodding, helping her with her coat, "Besides, I want to just spend some time with you."

I leaned down to kiss her lips; they were soft and gentle. I felt her arms go around my waist, pulling us closer together.

"Let's go," She said, "otherwise we'll never leave."


	12. I'm Hit, I'm Hit

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all other previous chapters. Thanks for reading, please remember to review!!!**

_**Chapter 12**_

Lindsay and I returned from our walk at the exact time that Chad pulled into the hotel's parking lot. Lindsay didn't drop my hand nor did she push me away when we got closer to Chad's vehicle.

"Colleagues, huh?" was all that Chad said when we approached.

We got in and drove the short distance to his house. We chatter about the latest news in the world and some of the latest gossip as well. Soon we were pulling into a wide driveway leading up to a cute two story log cabin style home. While it wasn't the tradition style log home, the architecture design was very appealing and attracting.

"Your home is gorgeous, Chad!" Lindsay said sincerely, "I love the design. It reminds me of Montana."

"Thanks Lindsay," Chad said as we got out of the vehicle and made our way to the house, "My wife designed it. She's really talented."

He opened the door and stood aside to allow Lindsay and I to pass in front of him. Once inside I was promptly met with a plastic dart to the forehead. Remembering that Chad had said that he had a little boy, I decided to play it up.

"I've been hit!" I exclaimed and began to lean on the wall for support, "I've been hit. Take cover!"

A child, hidden from our eyes, giggled softly and another dart flew by barely missing Lindsay.

"Riley Jackson!" a voice came from down the hall, "How many times have I told you that you don't point or shoot that at people!"

A young woman, probably in her late twenty's, and looking very pregnant; appeared in the doorway. Chad had just joined us as well.

"You must be Danny and Lindsay," the woman said, extending her hand, "I'm Tessa, it's wonderful to finally meet you. Chad has said wonderful things."

"Nice to meet you too," We echoed together, "Chad told us about you too; however I think he left a couple of things out."

Tessa laughed and smiled.

"He didn't tell you that I was as big as the house?" Her smile was genuine as she rubbed her expectant belly, "I'm due in a couple of weeks. We think it's a girl, but we also thought Riley was a girl."

We all laughed as Chad joined us.

"I heard you call for Riley," Chad said, giving Tessa a kiss and taking our jackets, "What did he do now?"

"Shot Danny in the head with one of those plastic darts." She answered, giving him what was most clear "I told you not to give him that toy" looks.

"Riley Jackson!" Chad's voice boomed, "I think you'd better come here."

A red haired boy crawled out from under the table and stood behind his mother.

"Riley," Tessa turned to him, "I think you need to apologize to our guests. You know better than to shoot that at people."

Riley looked to his father, then to both Lindsay and I in turn.

"Riley." Chad warned, "Please apologize to Danny and Lindsay."

"Sworry." Riley said, hanging his head, "I rweally didn't mean to hurt you."

Lindsay bent down to Riley's level and made him look at her. The little boy was nearly in tears.

"It's ok Riley," Lindsay said to him, "We aren't mad, are we Danny?"

Lindsay looked to me to agree with her. I too, knelt down to Riley's level.

"Nope," I said, "Not mad at all."

A big smile spread across Riley's face and he took Lindsay's hand.

"Wanna see my room?" He asked, pulling her further into the house, "I have an indoor swide."

Lindsay looked back at me as if to say "what choice do I have?". I just smiled back.

"Let's go in, shall we?" Chad asked, directing Tessa and I into the house as well.

The house truly was gorgeous, on the inside as well as the outside. We made our way to the kitchen, gathering around an island style bar that was built into the kitchen.

"What'll ya have Danny?" Chad asked, opening the fridge and pulling out a beer.

"Looks good to me." I replied with a smile.

Just then Lindsay and Riley came into the kitchen, laughing.

"Riley," Lindsay said, "was just showing me his slide."

"Wow," I said, smiling at how Lindsay was interacting with Riley, "Maybe you both could show it to me after dinner?"

Riley was now grinning from ear to ear. Lindsay had taken a seat on the stool next to me.

"You bet." He said, climbing up onto one of the stools, "Can I sit on your lap?"

"Sure." Lindsay smiled and helped him transition over.

"Lindsay," Chad asked, "Anything to drink?"

"Whatever you're having is fine." She replied, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, no Lindsay," Tessa replied, "You're a guest in this house. Just relax."

Chad and Tessa went about putting the final touches on dinner while we made small talk. The house smelled delicious, putting me greatly at ease. After a few minutes, Chad announced that dinner was ready and we moved from the kitchen to the dining room. Lindsay helped Riley, who had seemed to take a shine to her, into his seat before sitting next to me. It was quiet for a few moments with only the sounds of clanking dishes being passed around. Once everyone had been served, Tessa was the first to speak.

"How is the investigation going?" she asked as she cut up Riley's lasagna.

"It's definitely a gruesome scene," I commented, "but unfortunately that's about all I can say at this moment."

"Oh," she replied, "I understand."

"Chad told us that you designed this house." Lindsay said, skillfully changing the subject, "It's absolutely gorgeous. It reminds me of my grandparents' house in Montana."

"Oh, thank you Lindsay," Tessa blushed, "this was the first thing I'd designed after moving from the city. I used to work for a large architectural firm there."

"Do you still design?" Lindsay asked, genuinely interested.

"I freelance," Tessa answered, "But I've finished up all of my outstanding work so that I can concentrate on the new baby when it gets here."

"Completely understandable." Lindsay responded, "This is absolutely delicious."

After dinner we all went out back to the patio to enjoy the sunset, and Riley took Lindsay out to show her his tree house. We made small talk, watched Riley play on his play set, and enjoyed the evening."

Soon it was time for Riley to go to bed and for Chad to drive Lindsay and I back to the hotel.

"But I want Wind-sey to read me a story." Riley cried as Tessa walked him up the stairs, "I don't want Wind-sey or Danny to go."

We could hear Tessa talking soothingly to him and trying to calm him down as we went out the door. H

"Sorry about that," Chad said once we were in the car, "I don't know what got into him tonight, he normally doesn't attach to anyone unless he's known them awhile."

"Oh," Lindsay said, "It's ok. I have lots of nieces and nephews back home, maybe he could just sense that. Besides, I think it's a phase that everyone goes through. Each of my nieces and nephews went through something similar. He's probably just feeling a little unsure of his spot in the family with the new baby coming."

"Danny," Chad said looking at me in the review, "You've been awfully quiet."

"Just taking everything in." I answered honestly, "You have a wonderful family and a beautiful home Chad. Thank you for everything."

"Anytime."

Once we had bade our goodnights to Chad, I walked Lindsay back to her door.

"Care to come in for a drink?" Lindsay asked coyly.

"You have drinks in there?" I asked, pretending to be astonished.

"No," she answered, "but its been such a wonderful night, and it's still somewhat early. I brought some movies, maybe we could watch one of them."

"Sounds like a plan to me Montana." I said as we walked into her cabin.


	13. Jayne Eliaston

**A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all chapters. Please remember to review!**

**Chapter 13**

"Just go ahead and pick a movie," Lindsay said as I closed the door, "They're in my bag. I'm going to freshen up and change."

"Ok." I said as I went towards her bag.

I heard her moving around in the small bathroom as I browsed the selection of movies that she brought. A few of the choices shocked me a bit.

"I can't believe you have this movie." I said aloud, "I didn't even think you liked these kinds of movies."

"Which one?" came her reply from the bathroom.

"Assault on Precinct 13," I answered her, "I just didn't think that you would like that kind of movie."

"I like all different kinds of movies." She said as she walked out in a camisole top and knit pants, "Why don't we watch it?"

My mouth had suddenly gone dry and my voice had disappeared when I saw her. She looked gorgeous and she wasn't even trying. I had a suspicious feeling that I wasn't going to be watching much of the movie tonight, even if nothing happened.

"Sure," I said, managing to find my voice, "I'll pop it in."

We curled up on the bed after I put the movie in; her head was resting against chest, snuggling against me. I couldn't help think, as the movie started, how right this felt. I couldn't believe how much I had changed since Lindsay had arrived in New York, and I didn't change for her but I changed because of her. I wanted to be better for her. I wanted to be the kind of man that she deserved to have. She was the first person to make me feel this way; I pulled her a little closer to me and kissed her hair.

"Everything ok up there?" She asked looking away from the screen and up at me.

"Everything is perfect." I answered her.

I felt the sun warming my face as I tightened my arms around Lindsay. I heard her sigh softly and snuggled deeper into me. This was such a wonderful dream; I didn't want to open my eyes but I wanted to watch her sleep. There was a noise in the background I couldn't distinguish.

The television was on; the credits of the movie were playing. We must have fallen asleep watching the movie. This wasn't a dream; I was really sleeping with Lindsay, just sleeping. It was perfect, very serene, and wonderful. A cell phone went off, ruining it; I reached for the offending device.

"Messer." I answered out of habit.

"Danny?"

"Stella?" I said, trying to shake the sleep from my voice.

"What are you doing?" She questioned.

"Talking to you." I said, wondering where this was going, "Why?"

I gently poked Lindsay on the nose to wake her, pointing to the phone when she opened her eyes. She nodded and kissed my chest through my shirt.

"Well I was trying to call Lindsay, I must have dialed the wrong number." She said.

Shit. I looked at the phone in my hand and realized it was Lindsay's, not mine.

"Oh," I said, trying to sound nonchalant, "You did. She's just in the bathroom and I saw the number, so I answered it. Thought you might have something important on the case."

"Oh," Stella said, "No, I haven't even been into the lab yet today. I just wanted to see how Lindsay was doing out there."

"Ok," I answered, "Let me tell her you're on the phone."

I handed Lindsay the phone, and she smiled at me. I saw her hit the mute button and her smile widened.

"Nice on Messer."

She then turned her attention back to the phone and started to chat with Stella. I motioned that I was going to get up and she shifted away from me. I went into the bathroom, washing my face and hands when I was done.

Walking back into the small room, I saw that Lindsay was still on the phone. I motioned that I was going to run next door and change. I saw her nod and I left quietly.

Back at room, I quickly showered and changed. We had plans to go out and talk to Jayne Eliaston, the victim's mother, today. While I did a bit of cleaning, gathering up laundry and throwing away garbage, I began to think about the night before.

I don't think that I had ever just slept with a woman before, not without sex being involved. The funny thing is that I didn't need for it to be involved this time; I was comfortable with where we were and what happened.

"Danny?" I heard her voice ring out.

"In here." I called out, stepping out of the bedroom area so she could see me.

"Sorry about that." She came over and kissed me gently, "Stella just wanted to make sure that I was surviving dealing with you all the time."

"And," I asked, "what did you tell her?"

"The truth." She said simply, "I told her that we were getting along great and as soon as the case progressed further we would see everyone soon."

"Did you tell her that we're…" I faded off; I wasn't even sure to classify us as, seeing as how we hadn't truly been out on a date.

"They'll find out eventually." She said shrugging her shoulders, "It's not like they haven't noticed the chemistry. They've probably got a pool going about when we'll get together."

"On that note," I said, kissing her again, "I think it's time we made our way to Ms. Eliaston's house."

Chad had arranged for a vehicle to be dropped outside of our bungalows for our use so that we didn't continue to keep him from the things that he needed to do. Since he still had to make the notification to Mrs. Eliaston, he agreed to meet us at the house.

"Danny," Lindsay asked, while looking at the map, "How are we going to handle things when we get back?"

I looked over at her, and there was an emotion etched onto her face but I couldn't tell what it was. Uncertainty perhaps; doubt maybe; fear over asking a question she might not want to hear the answer to? Whatever it was, I didn't like it.

"Same way we are here Linds," I said, taking her hand in mine, "Let them find out in their own time. This is between you and me."

I smiled at her, trying to reassure her that everything would work out. She smiled back, that loving Montana smile that made me melt when I first saw her at the zoo. We pulled into the drive of a small one story house. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the house, nothing to lead someone to suspect that a murdered son once lived here. Chad's truck was already there.

"You ready?" I asked as I killed the engine.

"Let's hope this leads to some answers." Was her reply.

We both got out of the truck and started to walk towards the front door when we were called to the side lawn by Chad.

"Hey." I said, when I stepped onto the porch realizing he was not alone.

An older woman was sitting on a porch swing holding a glass. She was not frail looking, but there was something about her, something that didn't feel right. But then again, that may have only been because she had just presumably been told her only child was dead.

"Lindsay, Danny," Chad said, "I'd like you to meet Jayne Eliaston, Perry's mother."

"I wish there were better circumstances to our first acquaintance." Lindsay said, sitting in a chair near the swing.

I simply nodded in agreement; I hated doing notifications.

"If it's ok and you're up to it, Mrs. Eliaston" Lindsay continued, "We have just a few questions to ask. If you're not, Danny and I can always come back at a better time."

"No, no." Jayne said, "Please call me Jayne. I'll answer whatever questions you have, though I don't know how much help I'll be."

"Anything is better than nothing," I said, "Sometimes the smallest detail can cause the largest impact."

"Ok, I'll do my best." Was her reply.

"When was the last time you saw your son?" Lindsay asked.


	14. Hindering an Investigation

**A/N: Same disclosure applies as in all other chapters. Please enjoy and review. Thanks for sticking by through all of the long updates.**

**Chapter 14**

"The last time I saw my son was before he went on his trip." Jayne Eliaston answered, "He said that it was for school. He was going to a special school to teach so that he could earn a specialized degree."

Jayne Eliaston paused briefly, like she was trying to recall the conversation word for word.

"It was something for his human studies course he was taking I believe." She continued, "I didn't want him to go because he couldn't tell me exactly where he was going or how to get in contact with him."

I exchanged looks with Lindsay. We'd have to go to the school to get a copy of his class schedule and to talk to his professors.

"Jayne," Chad asked, "Is there anything that you can tell us that might help? Any strange phone calls, letters? Was he acting strange or different than from what you remember?"

Jayne's face etched into that of someone who was deep in thought. I decided that I would just look around the outside of the house, in case there was any remote possibility of trace. I also thought that it would be easier for her to talk without so many people hovering around.

"Danny."

I heard that musical voice call to me just as I was about three quarters around the house. I was about to answer when something caught my eyes, glinting in the sun.

"Over here." I managed to reply.

I moved closer to the object and it looked like a charm from a necklace; fairly expensive. Similar to what one would get for graduation. Lindsay came up along my side.

"Get an evidence bag from your kit will ya?" I asked.

Lindsay disappeared and was back in a flash with a bag and some gloves. I slipped them on and carefully dug the dirt away from the charm and lifted it out, setting it in the bag.

"Odd place for this to be." She said looking at the dirty charm.

"Let's say goodbye to Jayne, shall we?" I said, gesturing back towards the front of the house.

We made our way back to where Chad and Jayne were talking. They seemed to be having a discussion, and it looked like it was becoming rather heated the closer we got.

"I don't know anything Chad!" Jayne was practically shouting at this point.

"Don't think that because your husband is a lawyer that I won't arrest your for hindering an investigation."

"Everything ok?" I interrupted cautiously; I definitely wanted to know where this conversation was going to go but not wanting to lurk around and be noticed eavesdropping.

"Everything is fine." Jayne answered while shooting death glances at Chad.

"We have just one more question for you Jayne," Lindsay said, trying to keep the air light, "Have you seen this before?"

She handed the bag with the charm to her to look at. Jayne flipped the bag over in her hands several times, and tried to clean off some of the dirt through the plastic.

"Well," Jayne started to say with her eyes wide, "If I didn't know any better I would say that it's Perry's R.O.T.C shield."

She paused again, continuing to flip the bag over in her hand, as if she was looking for some sign that it did or didn't belong to her son, before finally handing it back to Lindsay.

"But it can't be." She said sadly but definitively, "Perry never took it off. It was like his ring from his grandfather, they were just a part of him."

We bade Chad, who apparently wasn't leaving anytime soon as he had sat down, and Jayne our goodbyes. Chad had told us that he would like to meet us at the diner for dinner if that was alright with us. We made arrangements to meet at 6.

"Wow." Lindsay said softly as we got into the loaded vehicle, "If everything was ok back there, I've got some prime waterfront realty to sell in Montana."

I laughed and started to back out of the driveway. We headed back towards the motel so that we could make a conference call to the lab. I reached over once we were on the road and took Lindsay's hand.

"You're beautiful." I stated simply as I watched her look out the window.

Her hair was blowing softly from the air coming in the slightly open window. She just seemed alive, like the country air had reinvigorated her.

"Hmm." Was her response.

I didn't respond, but I squeezed her hand a little tighter.

We got back to the motel in just under twenty minutes. Lindsay took the evidence bag with the pendent into her bungalow and I followed closely behind. After she set the bag down on the table with the rest of the evidence, I couldn't help myself and I pulled her into my arms. Her back was against my chest giving me a chance to smell her hair and the wonderful fragrance that emitted from it. I nuzzled her neck, placing soft kisses against it.

"Danny." She sighed softly, "That feels good but we have to call the lab. They're waiting for us I'm sure."

I let her go and when she turned around I stuck my tongue out at her. She laughed and shook her head.

"We'd better call."

I sat down as she hit the send button on her cell.

"Crime Lab." Stella's voice rang out.

"Hey Stel." Lindsay greeted her.

"Hey Linds." Stella answered, "You guys ready?"

"Yeah, we've got everything on our end setup Stella." Danny answered.

For the better part of two hours Stella, Mac, Lindsay, and I beat the evidence senseless. Mac had run a check on the Chapel and found that the leader had been part of another religious organization before breaking off to start the Chapel of Ever Lasting. He had been investigated by the church for being too ruthless with his beliefs. The organization had about 75 members, but hardly every left the complex. They were known to be pretty self sufficient.

"We're going to send the pendant to the lab to see if you can get anything off it." Lindsay said, "Perry had told his mother that he was doing something similar to an internship for a human studies course but we still have to follow that lead. I don't think he was being completely honest with that part. She also said that the last time she had heard from him was when he called her. She doesn't remember exactly when it was, but she remembers that he sounded tired. She said that she asked him when he was coming home and he said that he really liked it there; that he might stay."

"Ok." Mac said, "Why don't you guys go out to the schools, talk with Perry's teachers, and maybe make a stop at the Chapel of Ever Lasting Light. Something doesn't sit right with me."

"Gotcha Mac." Danny said, "Anything else we got?"

"We found shreds of cotton in the wound tracks." Mack sounded like he was reading off a report, "The dye wasn't anything commercial, but an organic vegetable blend."

"Looks like we've got our day cut out for us tomorrow, huh?" Lindsay commented.

We said our goodbyes and hung up but Lindsay and I kept going over the information for about another hour. We mapped out what our plans were going to be tomorrow and planned out what basic questions we were going to ask.

"Guess we'd better go and meet Chad at the diner." Lindsay said, stretching before getting up.


End file.
